


Abnormal

by camichats



Series: Dictionary Prompts [42]
Category: Marvel
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, No Underage Sex, Tony Being Tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 19:22:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15758094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camichats/pseuds/camichats
Summary: Tony had never made it a secret that he liked Rhodey, and now that Rhodey's back from basic, he finds himself returning those feelings.





	Abnormal

The first rule of life was: Don't fall in love with your best friend. And Rhodey didn't quite manage that. He did his best, and his best had worked for a while, he'd thought, but then he was proven wrong when he got back from basic. Tony had grown into himself, lost some of the baby fat on his cheeks, and he was looking _good_. The crush that Tony had on him-- and made no attempts to hide-- was no longer mildly endearing and vaguely annoying, it was dangerous. Because now? Now Rhodey wanted to encourage him.

When he saw Rhodey at the airport, he grinned, bright and wide and unassuming. And, because he was a cliche romantic at heart, he ran at Rhodey and wrapped him in a hug with his arms around his neck. "Honey bear! You've returned to me."

It got Rhodey's heart beating a little louder in his chest, but he ignored that and rolled his eyes, patting Tony on the back and taking a step back. He expected Tony to step back too, but he didn't, leaving them intimately in each other's space. "You knew I was coming back, Tones."

"That didn't make the wait easier." He gave an obviously fake sniff and wiped at his eyes. "All those nights alone in my bed, hoping that you would be alright and praying that you would be unharmed."

"I was in _basic_. I wasn't in the least bit of danger."

"You were in Jersey," Tony said, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "That's enough danger for the rest of your life. You tried living the wild life, congratulations, you survived, now it's time to come and be my kept man."

"Tony," Rhodey said in an undertone, taking another step back so there was a normal amount of space between them, "you need to stop that." _Before I keep getting ideas_.

"I don't see why," he said stubbornly, already setting his jaw against any argument Rhodey might have. "We're not roommates anymore, so you don't have to worry about that. Howard's dead, may he rot in hell, so we don't have to worry about him either."

"You're underage." Barely, but he still was, and Rhodey clung to that because _damn_ did Tony look good enough to eat.

Tony raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Barely. Besides, I'm legal, it's not like you'd get arrested."

"Yeah that's great motivation. 'Sleeping with me won't get you arrested', you should really advertise that more." Rhodey sighed and scrubbed a hand over his shaved head. "Look, it's been a long time since we've seen each other, I just want to grab my luggage, get some dinner, and hear about what I missed." He started walking towards baggage claim, and Tony walked alongside him.

"I emailed you about anything interesting that happened. Trust me, you didn't miss much else."

"Yeah? You don't even want to complain about Obie some more?"

Tony took the offer and ran with it, citing every little thing Obie said to him as the biggest grievance in his life. "It's good that you're back," he was saying as they got into the car he'd brought to come pick Rhodey up, "he gets onto me less when you're around."

"That's because he badgers me about it instead."

Tony glanced at him, frowning slightly as he pulled out of the spot and into the parking garage. "You never said anything."

"Well I wasn't going to let him win, was I?"

Tony snorted, good humor restored. "You'd think he'd give it up after the first time."

"He's a persistent ass, I'll give him that."

"Bite your tongue, Private Rhodes," Tony said, talking around his snickers. "That's my godfather you're talking about. Where'd you want to go eat?"

"I don't care where, but I want pizza. You wouldn't believe the monstrosity they have over there."

"It's a cursed place, sugar plum. You never should have left; you should've stayed here with me."

Rhodey laughed it off and turned to look out the window at the familiar city-scape. "You might be right about that," he said under his breath.

* * *

The second rule of life was: If you fall in love with your best friend, for fuck's sake, don't sleep with him. Rhodey wasn't so good at following that rule either. Tony was frighteningly sneaky. Rhodey had known it when they were roommates at MIT, but at some point he'd forgotten it, and now he was paying for it-- in the best, most comfortable way possible.

They'd brought the pizza home, and Tony brought out a couple beers to wash it down. He wasn't old enough to legally buy them, but he'd graduated MIT and was the owner of a successful company. Things like being old enough to legally purchase alcohol weren't exactly an obstacle in his life, and he proved that night that he didn't let other barriers stop him either.

Rhodey wasn't drunk when it happened-- wasn't anywhere near it-- but he did let his guard down. Tony had dropped the flirting for the meal, so when they were on the couch, Rhodey didn't think twice about Tony cuddling up to him while the movie played. Tony was a cuddly person in general, more so at night, and even more so when he drank, so there was nothing out of the ordinary about it.

Tony snuggled closer when the AC kicked on, his leg going between Rhodey's own and wrapping his arms around his torso. And maybe he was feeling a little loose himself, because he put his arm around Tony and pulled him closer.

Later, after the movie had ended and the credits were rolling, it was time to go to bed. A pleasant sleepy haze was over them, but that just paved the way for when Tony pulled back enough to look him in the eye, assessing. It was only for a second, and then Tony was leaning forward, pressing his lips to Rhodey's lightly.

Rhodey didn't push him away, so he kissed him again, longer this time, pressing against him hopefully. His hope was rewarded when Rhodey kissed him back, hand curling around the back of his neck and brushing against the soft waves of his hair because he'd let it grow out.

They were kissing, holding onto each other, and Tony asked Rhodey to go to bed with him after a while. All they did was sleep that night, but it still broke the rule as far as Rhodey was concerned.

But, Rhodey thought as he woke up slowly the next morning, some rules were made to be broken. Because laying here, looking at Tony curled up against him, warm and safe, he didn't see the point in throwing that away.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr [@cami-chats](http://cami-chats.tumblr.com)


End file.
